


Inside Looking Out

by ani_bester



Category: Invaders, Marvel
Genre: AI, Aliens, Androids, Gen, Prometheus - Freeform, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-21
Updated: 2012-06-21
Packaged: 2017-11-08 05:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/439849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ani_bester/pseuds/ani_bester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim isn't too keen on the use of Androids in the Alien franchise</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inside Looking Out

It took a few moments for Toro to spot Jim. The theater across from theirs had just let out and the rush of people filling the halls had limited Toro's lines of sight. But as the crowd began to move away from the back theater and toward him, Toro caught a glimpse of Jim, his red jacket standing out against the earth tones that were in fashion right now. Jim sat stiff backed on the very edge of a cheap aluminum bench with well worn black padding. At precise intervals, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Toro skirted along the outside of the swarm of people, ignoring the miffed looks he got as he shouldered people out of his path. As Toro drew closer and broke away from the crowd, Jim glanced over at him. Toro smiled, but only Jim's lips smiled in return. Toro felt his gut twist as he met Jim's gaze.

"I suppose," Jim said as Toro came close enough to hear without Jim needing to raise his voice, "That 'I had to use the restroom' is not a very good excuse to have left the theater. Not for me anyway."

"No, I suppose not."

Toro sat down closer to Jim than social conventions said was normal, but Toro didn't care, and he knew Jim didn't either. A few minutes of silence passed between as they watched the crowd. Parents clutched their children's hands, while other children ran in zigzags down the hall earning angry looks as their yells echoed in the theater hall. Couples came out, walking close together, usually hand in hand. Toro saw one girl lean her had against her partners arm. A few came in their direction, Toro noticed, but every one who approached stopped walking for a few seconds before turning in another direction.

Toro glanced up at Jim and saw he wasn't breathing or blinking. Toro sighed again and poked Jim, but Jim continued in his refusal to mimic humans. Toro brought his hand to his stomach and rubbed at the ache in his gut for a moment, before looking up at Jim again.

Jim continued not to breath or blink, but he did move to meet Toro's gaze.

"I'm sorry," Toro murmured, shifting to close the little space between him and Jim. "I really am, pappy. Everybody talked about how amazing David was; I didn't know he'd do that. I should have known because of Ash, but Bishop and Call were ok and-"

Jim put his arm around Toro's shoulder. It hung against him warm and heavy. "It wasn't what he did that upset me," Jim answered in such a soft voice that Toro strained to make out his words over the din of voices around him.

"Oh?' Toro prompted.

Jim managed a wary grin, but Toro could still see pain in Jim's blue eyes. "I'm ok with androids acting amorally in films. Well perhaps not ok, but it doesn’t bother me as it once did. If I let that the fictional androids concern me, I wouldn't have enough energy to worry about real ones. And I know I can't fix the inherent fears humans have."

"Oh." Toro looked at Jim, studying his expression for the twitch of his lip or the worry crease in his brow that typically accompanied Jim's attempt to lie to Toro. But there was nothing in Jim's expression to suggest he had lied.

"Then why did you leave?" Toro asked.

Jim stared ahead for a moment, watching a mother try and herd her young daughter past the concession stand. After they'd disappeared into a theater, Jim looked back to Toro.

"Several of the discussions in the movie had already made me uncomfortable, but that scene, deviling into why humans would create something like me, well I try hard to not think about it and that scene mad it difficult to do so.

Toro nodded and then put his elbow on the bench's armrest and rested his cheek in his hand. "Yean, I guess "because we could" really is a crap answer isn't it.".

Rather than nod though, Jim shook his head. .

"No." Jim began to blink again. "I disagree with the idea put forth by the writers. Maybe they think it would be terrible to be made simply because the creator could, maybe it doesn’t suit their ego. But to me, that reason seems logical, almost expected. Why does anyone do anything? Because they can, or to show they can. It's not that bad of a reason really. Maybe it isn't the best, but it's not the worst."

Toro leaned against Jim's arm. He let himself grow warm, not enough to burn though his clothes, but enough so that Jim was one of the few people who could now touch him for long.

"What do you think is the worst?"

Jim's used his arm around Toro's shoulders to hug Toro closer to his side.

"To be used," Jim whispered.

"Oh," Toro whispered in a hushed voice. He took a deep breath, and then reached out and took Jim's hand in his. Hand in hand, they sat and watched people bustle about the busy theater.

\- End

* * *

**Author Commentary: To Amuse Myself- and hopefully you**  
It took a few moments for Toro to spot Jim. The theater across from theirs had just let out and the rush of people filling the halls had limited Toro's lines of sight. But as the crowd began to move away from the back theater and toward him, Toro caught a glimpse of Jim, his red jacket standing out against the earth tones that were in fashion right now. Jim sat stiff backed on the very edge of a cheap aluminum bench with well worn black padding. At precise intervals, he ran his fingers through his hair.

_This was one of the easier fics for me to start. Usually the first scene I write ends up being a middle seen, but I liked this opening. It worked well for a short ficlet._

Toro pushed his way through the swarm of people, ignoring the miffed looks he got as he shouldered people out of his path. As Toro drew closer and broke away from the crowd, Jim glanced over at him. Toro smiled, but only Jim's lips smiled in return. Toro felt his gut twist as he met Jim's gaze.

_In the first draft, Toro wasn't this aggressive. He was moving along the sides and trying to avoid people. But I rethought that and figured Toro would be too concerned about Jim to bother being polite to strangers, and would take a direct route to Jim._

"I suppose," Jim said as Toro came close enough to hear without Jim needing to raise his voice, "That 'I had to use the restroom' is not a very good excuse to have left the theater. Not for me anyway."

_My headcanon is Jim doesn’t have a digestive system like we do. Instead anything he consumes is burned off. Either to get energy, or simply to get rid off the food he can't otherwise digest. I've not decided if I think he has taste buds. I think he would have a preference for some foods over others, but it may be based on things other than taste- or at least how we think of taste_

"No, I suppose not."

Toro sat down closer to Jim than social conventions said was normal, but Toro didn't care, and he knew Jim didn't either.

_I like the idea that Toro isn't worried about personal space, and neither is Jim. I don't think though, either is awkwardly unaware of the concept (like Castiel in SPN seem sot be) they just don't have much of it with each other._

A few minutes of silence passed between as they watched the crowd. Parents clutched their children's hands, while other children ran in zigzags down the hall earning angry looks as their yells echoed in the theater hall. Couples came out, walking close together, usually hand in hand. Toro saw one girl lean her had against her partners arm. A few came in their direction, Toro noticed, but every one who approached stopped walking for a few seconds before turning in another direction.

_The people watching is meant to be a reminder of the idea that Jim learns by mimicry. This was the explanation for how he learned human emotions that was presented in The Torch. Interestingly, it's pretty much the same concept as the Ridley Scott has for how the Synthetics in the Alien universe mimic human emotions, but in this case, they have none, where as I think Jim (and other androids in the Marvel universe) do genuinely feel something akin to emotions. It's also arguable that the Synthetics in the Alien Universe evolve to as well. Which is the question I supposes of how much do you mimic something before you learn it, where do emotions come from, how do you create that amount of sentience and keep it from having emotions, etc. But anyway, Jim needing to learn by mimicry was why there's so much people watching_

Toro glanced up at Jim and saw he wasn't breathing or blinking. Toro sighed again and poked Jim, but Jim continued in his refusal to mimic humans.

_And Jim's littler rebellion here. I figure pretty much anything Jim can't do, reproduce for example, is something that some humans can't do, so it wouldn't really separate him from humanity. But not needing to breathe or blink is something that would stand out, and would mark him as "other" and so here he's just tired of playing along and his all –so I creep you out being what I am, that's your problem not mine- grrr_

Toro brought his hand to his stomach and rubbed at the ache in his gut for a moment, before looking up at Jim again.

Jim continued not to breath or blink, but he did move to meet Toro's gaze.

"I'm sorry," Toro murmured, shifting to close the little space between him and Jim. "I really am, pappy. Everybody talked about how amazing David was; I didn't know he'd do that. I should have known because of Ash, but Bishop and Call were ok and-"

_Toro has guilt_

Jim put his arm around Toro's shoulder. It hung against him warm and heavy. "It wasn't what he did that upset me," Jim answered in such a soft voice that Toro strained to make out his words over the din of voices around him.

_In my original draft, that was what upset him, but it was a pretty huge spoiler. Originally I was going to use it and having big spoiler alert warning, but I realized that the more upsetting aspect really was what Halloway says to David (and how David is treated and referred to throughout the movie). I liked that better and went with it._

"Oh?' Toro prompted.

Jim managed a wary grin, but Toro could still see pain in his eyes. "I'm ok with androids acting amorally in films. Well perhaps not ok, but it doesn’t bother me as it once did. If I let that the fictional androids concern me, I wouldn't have enough energy to worry about real ones. And I know I can't fix the inherent fears humans have."

_This is one of the reasons I went with the discussion. AI's acting amoral or evil are pretty common. I figure if he's not flipping out over say Battlestar or a dozen other things, David's actions aren't going to affect him as much as the humans words._

"Oh." Toro looked at Jim, studying his expression for the twitch of his lip or the worry crease in his brow that typically accompanied Jim's attempt to lie to Toro. But there was nothing in Jim's expression to suggest he had lied.

_I wanted to make reference to Jim having feelings and Jim being a bad liar to Toro, and how well Toro knows Jim_

"Then why did you leave?" Toro asked.

Jim stared ahead for a moment, watching a mother try and herd her young daughter past the concession stand. After they'd disappeared into a theater, Jim looked back to Toro.

"Several of the discussions in the movie had already made me uncomfortable, but that scene, deviling into why humans would create something like me, well I try hard to not think about it and that scene mad itdifficult to do so.

Toro nodded and then put his elbow on the bench's armrest and rested his cheek in his hand. "Yean, I guess "because we could" really is a crap answer isn't it."

_This was a challenge, trying to get the main point of the discussion across without being too spoilery. I hope it worked._

Rather than nod though, Jim shook his head. .

"No." Jim began to blink again. "I disagree with the idea put forth by the writers. Maybe they think it would be terrible to be made simply because the creator could, maybe it doesn’t suit their ego. But to me, that reason seems logical, almost expected. Why does anyone do anything? Because they can, or to show they can. It's not that bad of a reason really. Maybe it isn't the best, but it's not the worst."

_Honestly, as a religious person, I'd be pretty devastated to learn god didn't give a damn, but that's from me and my religious PoV, which I don't think Jim shares. Having been made, and seen others made, I think he perspective would be more levelheaded. This also if you've seen the movie, does mirror a question David raises to the humans, which I won't spoil, but I wanted to bring up for those who have seen the movie._

Toro leaned against Jim's arm. He let himself grow warm, not enough to burn though his clothes , but enough so that Jim was one of the few people who could now touch him for long.

_I like to use this has like Jim and Toro's equivalent of a secret handshake and a platonic form of intimacy between them._

"What do you think is the worst?"

Jim's used his arm around Toro's shoulders to hug Toro closer to his side.

"To be used," Jim whispered.

_And this references Brubaker and Eptin's "Marvels" miniseries in which it was suggested that Horton and his partner were funded by those who did wasn’t Jim to be a weapon. They were trying to create a superhuman in much the same way Eskrine was. Horton's motives are still a little more "To show I'm brilliant" but there have been many many many many people who just see Jim as a weapon to be used. Also of course, it's pretty much the number one reason in sci-fi why we create androids. Not because we can, but to be pretty much the slave class and still a 'thing."_

"Oh," Toro whispered in a hushed voice. He took a deep breath, and then reached out and took Jim's hand in his. Hand in hand, they sat and watched people bustle about the busy theater.

_This was actually a hard one to end. Easy to start but danged hard to end. I actually went through several different endings for this. The first draft and Anne come out of the theater upset at being left alone for a scene that is particularly horrific. However, it's also a huge spoiler, and after working so hard to minimize spoilers, I didn't want to ruin that for a throwaway joke. That was the other reason I cut it. It really was throwaway, and I felt that, as much as I like Anne, she took away from the intimate scene between Jim and Toro. Also, she had another issue that was upsetting and IMHO just overcrowded the fic and took away from the point which was Jim's issues. Another ending had Jim and Toro sneaking into another theater and jokes about it making Jim a "bad" android. But the turn around time on the levity was too fast a felt and undermined how upset Jim had been earlier. Also, I just didn't feel it worked well. The final cut ending was simply and extension of the conversation between Toro and Jim. But several paragraphs into that I realized it was repetitive and drawing out the conversation negated the impact of what had upset Jim and why Jim felt he had been created. So I deleted it, did a small re-write and that's where I got my ending._


End file.
